Volunteers get behind the wheel to serve up warm meals
Come rain or shine, a group of volunteers hit the road to make sure hundreds of Winnipeg's vulnerable citizens have a warm meal each and every day.
For the past year, Dave Rubel has been volunteering with Meals on Wheels Winnipeg two or three times each week.
"It's so rewarding to actually take a meal and go knock on the door and have somebody answered the door and see you and give them a meal to start their day," he said. "I gotta say, it's the highlight of my day."
The organization has been serving up hundreds of meals each week in Winnipeg since 1965. Winnipeg Regional Health Authority staff make and package the meals, which are then taken to city hospitals.
From there, Meals on Wheels delivers the food to the front doors of Winnipeggers who are not able to get out on their own.
"We have about 300 clients who receive meals from Meals on Wheels, and we deliver all over the city," said Adam Rout, the volunteer coordinator with Meals on Wheels.
That's only possible thanks to the volunteers behind the wheels.
"If you don't have a driver then people aren't going to get their meals. So it becomes very, very critical that they have a good base of volunteers," said Rubel.
He is one of about 300 volunteers with the program. He said in his one year of volunteering as a driver, he's tried to deliver more than just a warm meal.
"Basically, I've made it my sort of goal to try to put a smile on their face," he said. "If someone's wearing a Winnipeg Jets sweater or jersey – Go Jets Go, Go Bombers Go – you know, even if it's one minute, just being a part of their day."
The group is always looking for more volunteers to get behind the wheel. Rout said the minimum commitment is one route per month. It's meaningful work that the volunteers say leave their hearts as full as the plates they deliver.
"Just that genuine appreciation that our clients have for our volunteers knowing that these folks are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts," Rout said.
More information about the Meals on Wheels Winnipeg program can be found online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.